


We're Still Breathing

by Starry_Daze



Category: Escape Room (2019)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Panic Attacks, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-24 18:28:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17709284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starry_Daze/pseuds/Starry_Daze
Summary: Ben wakes up in hospital. Zoey's there waiting for him. Two sole survivors safe at last.





	We're Still Breathing

**Author's Note:**

> Aight cool, my first fanfic and it's for the movie with less than 5 fics in its tag. Oh well, I'm just doing the Lord's work I guess. To anybody who actually reads this, hope you like it! (And you have good taste in both movies and ships) I might write a few more for this ship, it's too good to not have at least more than one fic for it :)

The last thing Ben remembered before waking up in the safety of the hospital was a hazy exchange between him and Zoey.

“You _came back for me."_

_“Well, I was tired of being a lone survivor.”_

Ben’s head spun as he attempted to sit up from the hospital bed, his entire body thrummed with pain that was barely eased by the anaesthetics being pumped into his body. He attempted to catalogue the injuries he’d sustained in the _escape room_ (torture chamber more like it); there was his leg that had been broken, impaled and more or less fucked up, his neck bruised and raw from the Game Master’s attempt at killing him, his head throbbing from the countless times he’d been pummelled to the ground, and overall just pain throughout his entire body at the pure exertion it had gone through. Ben couldn’t even remember the last time he’d exercised, much less the last time he’d been forced into that many life-and-death situations.

Ben eventually gave up on sitting up, instead letting his eyes roam the hospital room. He released a small breath as he noticed to his right the still, sleeping form of Zoey slumped over, half sitting on a chair and half leaning on his bed. A burst of emotions surged through him and at once an ocean of tears fell from his eyes. There were _six_ of them who had entered that cursed building; six very different, very _human_ people. None of them deserved what they’d gone through, none of them. Amanda and Mike had been nothing but selfless and supportive the entire time, both died because of it. Sure, Jason had been a Grade-A murderous asshole, but Ben could understand - even just a little bit - what desperation could do to a person. And while Zoey was still alive in the end, he couldn’t believe that he’d left her behind in that hospital room, despite the fact that doing so saved both of their lives.

Ben didn’t think he could ever forgive himself for Danny, the poor kid hadn’t even done anything to him and yet…In his own words:

_“I was just being an asshole!”_

He couldn’t help the loud gasp as a sob wracked through his already fragile frame. If he were to be honest, this breakdown had been a long time coming. Ben’s life had been on a downward spiral long before he laid his hands on that puzzle box; stuck in a dead-end job, suffering from a serious case of alcoholism and still living at his Mum’s house, it was a wonder he had any motivation to live at all inside the escape room. Well, that was a lie. Ben knew _exactly_ what drove him to survive in there:

Cowardice.

Ben was a coward, pure and simple. He was afraid of everything, especially death. Ironically, he probably had the least to live for out of all of them; it was _him_ who should’ve died, _him_ who should’ve sacrificed himself. It mightn’t have made any of them like him but at least he would’ve done _something_ with his useless, miserable --

“Ben! I’m here, calm down. I’m here!”

He was snapped out of his daze by Zoey’s alarmed yet soothing voice.

“Ben! Look at me!” For somebody so seemingly quiet and shy, Zoey had a voice that could command authority. So, Ben did as he was told.

He sharply turned his head to look at her, sobs still wrecking through his body and tears still spilling down his cheeks. How could somebody as smart as her, as kind as her, as _good_ as her, even look at him?

“Ben! Please, look at me. Look at me!” Zoey’s hands had somehow found their way around Ben’s, the warmth emanating from her contrasting greatly with the ice building up inside of him. He blinked rapidly, attempting to clear his vision to indeed look at her beautiful, flawless, ethereal face with tearless eyes. “Ben, you’re having a panic attack. I need you to focus on me, okay?”

Ben would have no difficulty with that. He simply nodded.

“Alright,” Zoey cracked a small smile of relief. “Just, steady your breathing. Can you do that for me? Breathe. In and out. In and out. Good, that’s great, Ben.”

Ben hadn’t realised how hard his heart had been beating in his chest until he could feel it begin to slow down again. For what felt both like forever and no time at all, the two of them sat just like that; clutching hands, looking at one another, and simply _breathing_.

Zoey was the first to break the silence.

“You’re alright, Ben. You’re safe.”

Ben nodded. He could feel a pleasant, soporific numbness begin to set in, most likely the drugs. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to go under again.

“Thank you.” He managed to croak from his severely damaged throat, barely a whisper really.

“Hey, it’s fine.” Zoey replied, smiling through her own tears. “We’re fine. I’ve already spoken to the police, they’re going to storm the Minos building, they’re gonna arrest whoever did this to us.”

Ben doubted it was going to be that easy, but in that moment; in that hospital room, with just him and Zoey and nothing else but the beeping of the hospital equipment, he could truly believe he was going to be alright. His eyes fluttered shut for a second and suddenly a swell of exhaustion came over him, surely a mix of the panic attack, anaesthetics and traumatic experience.

“The doctors said you need to rest. When you wake up...I’ll be here.” Zoey said, helping Ben lay back into a comfortable position. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

The last thing Ben felt before drifting off again was a pair of soft lips on his cheek.


End file.
